Thank you! With that being said I just pulled the trigger on a 14! Picking it up Sunday. Also good to know about stowing, I would assume if the wheels didn't rest on the bars as you mentioned it would also create a small, but constant pressure on the mount/hull as well, Ill have to try that out!

For me there's two main reasons Boonedox will crack a kayak hull. One is getting the bolts too tight. If you have someone do the installation chances are they are going to overtightened the bolts it's just human nature. When bolts are too tight the stainless steel backing plate creates excessive pressure on the inside of the hull. Tighten the bolts snug and use blue loctite. And two the use the landing gear on rough terrain or over bumpy asphalt. Make sure you don't pull the kayak over a curb, over pot holes or rough terrain and you'll be fine.

As for the weight I've had my PA14 loaded with roughly 50 lbs of gear in the rear tank well including a fish bag with 20 lbs of ice and fish and never had issues with Boonedox. A lot of your excess weight will be on the front so I don't think that will be an issue. Check with Boonedox and see what they say.

I think you are spot on Jerry. A third possible reason for cracks is incorrect hole placement. The bolts need to screw into the backplate with little to no contact with the top rail. Meaning, If the holes are off by 1/8" (which could be only 1/16" on each hole), the bolts will bind against the plastic top rail and create a stress point(s). For this reason, I drilled as precisely as possible and then reamed the holes out a little larger than necessary. I reamed them a little front to back (not side to side) and created a bit of an oval.

As to rough terrain... Jimbo once made a great recommendation if you ever find yourself needing to traverse relatively rough terrain. You can put a rachet strap under the kayak and attach it to each side of the landing gear. This will transfer some of the weight to the belly of the kayak. I have not tried this yet, but I absolutely will if I ever have have a section of rough ground between me and the water.

Thanks for the input! that eases my mind a bit about it!